ORLANDO, Fla.  Authorities say a Florida firefighter who brought a handgun onto a flight out of Orlando will not be prosecuted.

The unidentified woman told authorities she forgot she had a 380-caliber semi-automatic in her purse when she boarded a flight Thursday. The woman went through screening checkpoints at Orlando International Airport, but the gun was not detected.

The woman told authorities about the incident when she landed at Newark Liberty Airport.

I suspect that for most gun owners (particularly women, as they typically use purses), they think about a scenario like this, where they board a plane and then, probably on the flight, figure out that they still have their gun.

And, just to make it worse, they land in a very gun-unfriendly place, 1000 miles from home. So what to do? Options include:

1) Tell the feds when you land, as she did. Being a fireman may have saved her from a prosecution. They like to make examples out of us rednecks up there.

2) Try to dispose of the gun, and maybe try to wipe off the serial number prior.

3) Try to return home with it in your luggage. Risky if you tell the airline, since you likely need a permit just to bring it to the airport. Risky, of course, if you don't tell them.

4) Rent a car and drive back with it. Just drive very carefully when in gun-hating states.

I'd almost certainly pick #4. I'd rent a car as quickly as possible, bury the gun under the spare tire (assuming there even is one, but that's another thread), and then plan my return to Florida. I'd have to decide whether to bring the car back, or just go one-way. That would depend on a lot of factors. But I'd consider that option as the most likely path to success.

But given all that, be thankful that you even have Option 4. If you're overseas, then it really get challenging to figure out a plan.

The woman went through screening checkpoints at Orlando International Airport, but the gun was not detected.

The stupid TSA. Private enterprise has shown to be clearly more efficient and effective than the self-conflicted, bloated, and utterly unaccountable federal government's TSA. Same with healthcare and everything else the government unconstitutionally meddles with except defense (which also needs constant monitoring).

I’m 66 years old with over 30 years in law enforcement and can’t get a job with the TSA because I’m too old. I guarantee a gun would not get past me unless it was made of plastic. Yet our government hires folks that have no clue how to protect us.

Hire retired police officers and the whole TSA thing might make some sense. Hire welfare queens and you get what you pay for.

If law-abiding citizens were everywhere permitted open *and* concealed carry, in public and private places, there would not be SandMonkey terrorists or other assorted nutjobs shooting up or blowing up this country.

A variation of that might be the best option. Instead of rolling the dice in NJ, where even showing up with the gun at FedEx is illegal, maybe drive to the nearest gun-friendly state (maybe PA, but not sure) and mail it from there.

14
posted on 09/29/2012 8:35:54 PM PDT
by BobL
(You can live each day only once. You can waste a few, but don't waste too many.)

“I haven’t flown in a long time, but why did she disclose it when she got to Newark? Wouldn’t she need it there more than most places?”

Most people that go to Newark make it out alive, unless they’re absolute idiots and try to “paint the town” - that’s what New York City is for.

In her case, she had to be scared to death of being caught, maybe even being intercepted after she got off the airplane (maybe they reviewed the screenings from the sleeping TSA type and found it during her flight...that’s what can go through one’s mind when panicking)...similar to what happens to drug couriers. She may have figured that she better fess-up first. Or maybe she knew that she might get “talked-to” due to her panicked appearance, and I suspect that she’d be subject to search, just being at the airport (not sure though).

It’s also possible that she couldn’t come up with a plan for getting the piece back to FL...so she figured the sooner owned-up the better - pretty pathetic if true. It would be interested to see her interviewed, but I doubt that will happen.

16
posted on 09/29/2012 8:58:54 PM PDT
by BobL
(You can live each day only once. You can waste a few, but don't waste too many.)

Understood. As I said, I haven't flown in a long time. The last time I can recall was down to Florida and back about five years ago.

Interestingly, I was flying out of Washington National in the 80's when I had difficulty getting by security. The nails in the heels of my Florsheim Imperials set the alarm off. Now I have a knee replacement - Guess that will put me in line for a full body search now.

Genuflectimus non ad principem sed ad Principem Pacis!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

I doubt very much that FedEx or UPS do that. It would create a liability for them if they fail to detect some dangerous content. It would also destroy privacy of shippers - and that is something that courier services cannot afford. X-ray may also damage shipped materials, such as exposed but undeveloped film, medical samples, some fine electronics. There is simply no upside for FedEx to bother with X-ray; it's a lot of expense and no profit.

FedEx will not legally ship a firearm from you to your house. One of the ends must be a licensed dealer. Interestingly enough, the law does not seem to allow this particular situation where a lawful owner ships his legally acquired firearm from one place where he can have it to another place where he can have it.

You must disclose that the package contains a firearm; then the package will be labeled on the outside (so that it can be conveniently stolen by low wage workers, I guess.) It would be a violation of the contract between you and FedEx (and of the state/federal laws) to put a firearm into a metal box, wrapped well so that it doesn't rattle, and ship that. Though the risk of discovery is very low, if the matter becomes known the punishment might be very unpleasant.

If I were to be caught in this situation, I would have called a dealer in my area (a few are well known to me since I, naturally, visit their places of business now and then) and asked them to receive and hold the firearm for me. They'd charge a nominal fee for bother, about $25 (the same they charge when you buy a firearm from someone else and have it shipped.) That would be 100% legal. Driving is also perfectly legal as long as the firearm is unloaded and in a locked container in the trunk. That's what hunters do all the time. If some cities ban firearms in every way possible, steer around them (they are likely to be bad places to visit anyway.)

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